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Chapter 4 - Detention

As a Death Eater, Severus Snape had been adept at intimidating his opponents in order to gain the upper hand; he had learned to prey upon the weaknesses of others and use them to his own advantage. Masterfully trained to size up his opposition, he was currently staring down his latest adversary with an intensity not often found outside of a dark revel. He could smell their fear and he smiled with the knowledge that no matter who came out victorious, the results would be the same - the end would mean his emancipation. For the weary saboteur, he knew that the end could not come soon enough, because for the past hour the pounding in his head had started to overpower the twitching in his left eye. The war may have ended, but like Gringotts and Minister Fudge, the Slytherin/Gryffindor potions class remained -- courtesy of Albus "Bleeding" Dumbledore.

Snape had spent the previous evening listening to the old windbag boast about the Valentine's Day festivities and the surprise events he had planned with the former Headmasters. And that's when it hit him -- those blasted portraits. He had completely forgotten that the room was filled with a bunch of old busybodies who had nothing better to do than lie in wait for their next victim. As a veteran spy he was trained to handle any situation, but his new apprentice would have been ambushed.

As her mentor he should have been concerned for her safety, but the remainder of the night found him lamenting his own situation. He used to be a trusted advisor to Voldemort and a top-notch double agent; and now he was reduced to pulling childish pranks with the aid of a student -- a Gryffindor no less. Not only that, but after all these years he was about to get caught -- Oh, how the mighty had fallen.

He hadn't expected her to get past the portraits of evil, so when he saw her in the Great Hall at lunch with a rather smug look on her face, he knew she was up to something. He figured that if she had been unsuccessful in entering the room she wouldn't be smiling, so it had to be that the Gryffindor darling had gotten caught and turned him in to save herself.

Looking out for his own best interests, he used a charmed goblet to listen in on her conversation. He was astonished to find that the discussion centered on the subject of -- dare he even think it -- blow jobs. Certainly it wasn't something he had ever associated with someone of her academic brilliance. He had thought about the depth in which she articulated her every position... the way her mouth warmed to any topic... how her tongue flicked sharply as she drove home her point... and her lips... as they wrapped around his--

He had tried to push the thought away quickly, but when something provocative takes hold, there are only certain ways it can be relieved. He had made a quick dash from the table in order to spend some quality time alone in his chambers, but had been cornered by the Headmaster and missed his opportunity. His concentrated efforts during class should have lessened his problem, but with her every move it seemed she was determined to taunt him with her blatant sexuality.

Didn't she know that a man could only be pushed so far? Damn her.

"Miss Granger."

"Yes Professor?"

"Did I not just deduct 20 points from you a few minutes ago for assisting Mr. Longbottom with his potion?"

"Yes Professor."

"And 10 points the time before that?"

"Yes Professor."

"Well, perhaps another 30 points is in order. Now get back to work."

"Yes Professor."

The room was quiet except for the sounds of students busily mixing their potions. It was apparent to all that Professor Snape was in a foul mood, and most of the students were determined to give him a wide berth. Most -- meaning all but Hermione Granger, who seemed oblivious to the Slytherin smirks and Gryffindor scowls every time she opened her mouth. Since the fall of Voldemort many inter-house friendships had formed, but the House Cup was still the House Cup. After a few minutes she leaned over and whispered another command to her inept lab partner. To her fellow Gryffindors that had been enough, and they hissed at her with displeasure.

"Miss Granger!" The complete exasperation evident in the Potion Master's voice and demeanor had begun to worry not only the Gryffindors, but also the Slytherins.

"Yes Professor?" Her words were returned with a hint of frustration, and she followed them with a look that obviously conveyed her desire for something more.

Catching the glint in her eye the Professor decided that enough was enough. If she wanted more she would get it -- he was nothing if not accommodating. "Perhaps a detention would improve your listening skills." He noted the look of approval on her face before throwing in, "see me directly after class to schedule the time."

"Yes Professor." With the slight smile hovering on her lips indicating her success, she quietly went back to work.

He was used to the mad stampede at the end of every potions class and today was no different -- except for her. While the rest of the class scampered out the door she lingered at her desk. He noticed her delicate movements as she put away her supplies and returned her books to her satchel. When the last student departed the classroom, she sauntered over to him and boldly warded the classroom door. She casually dropped her bag to the floor and perched on the side of his desk. 'So this was how it was going to be,' he thought, 'she wants to be the aggressor.' He couldn't help but smile at her brazenness.

As he turned in his chair to address her, his hand whispered past her thigh. He took note of her gentle shiver and drew his eyes up her body, pausing momentarily on her nipples as they peeked though the thin cotton of her school blouse. With a last ditch effort to stop the illicit affair from proceeding, he tried to look away and reminded himself that she was a student --- but his eyes ignored the inappropriateness of the situation and continued on their journey. As his mind was busy chastising his body for it's betrayal, their eyes locked in a smoldering embrace.

She wouldn't have been the first to corner the Potions Master in his dungeon for a well deserved detention. True, it had never happened during his tenure, but all his academic counterparts had sworn that it happened to them on a regular basis. Or, perhaps this was to be sexual blackmail? He still hadn't heard what deal she had struck for her freedom over the break-in. Perhaps she hadn't turned him in yet and was waiting for a better offer. He certainly didn't have a problem with trading a sexual favor for his freedom. Although, it was rather daunting to think that his career would hang on the balance of one sexual experience -- she was a perfectionist after all. What if he couldn't live up to her expectations? Would he get a second chance, and if so, would she grade on a curve? The thought of multiple (and regular) second chances danced in his head and he quickly overcame any anxieties he had over the impending liaison.

He was determined that -- either way -- he would finally have a tawdry tale to share at the Potion Masters' conference. His mind raced with the lurid advice usually found in the pages of PlayWizard, and as he saw the deep crimson rise in her cheeks he knew she was thinking the same thing. 'Oh, she wants me,' he couldn't help but think, 'she wants me bad.'

As that thought danced in his head he sat at the edge of his seat like a coiled serpent and readied himself for her opening move. The air was thick with emotion, and finally -- unable to stand the silence any longer -- she spoke.

"Are you alright Professor? You look a bit flushed. Do you want me to open a window, or would you rather I call Madame Pomfrey for you?"

Finally noticing her look of innocent confusion he wondered if he might have misunderstood her earlier intentions. Then it hit him, he had forgotten all about the detention they had planned yesterday. She hadn't been coming on to him during class; she had been setting the stage for their next plotting session. "No," he bit out a bit too forcefully, "I'm fine." Actually he wasn't fine. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and quickly re-doubled his efforts to diminish his situation before she became wise to it.

"Oh, well then, would you mind telling me what that was all about?"

Damn! Just when you thought your day couldn't get any worse. Of course, she noticed the dramatically uncoiled serpent in his trousers just waiting to spring into action. Not only was he not going to get any, but she also knew that he had been expecting it. Unsure of what to say when found in such a situation, he remained silent but gave her what he hoped was a rather nasty glare.

She ignored his lack of response and continued on sarcastically. "When we agreed -- no, when you decided -- that I would get detention for the week so we could work together, you didn't say anything about taking..." She paused to do a quick calculation, "60 points from me!"

Thank Merlin! Relief flooded over him when he realized that she was only concerned about silly house points. Honestly, if he didn't have a large number of Galleons riding on the outcome of the House Cup every year, he would never even think of them. He started calculating house points and the various ways he could subtract them, and hoped that his not-so-little problem would go away soon.

Recognizing that she was still waiting for a response, he answered shortly, "Actually, I do believe it was 70 points. I took 10 points when you entered the classroom -- for walking too loudly." Try as he might, he couldn't contain the snicker at his ability to take away points. To some it was a job; to him it was really an art.

Hermione was livid; it was as if their previous day's conversation had never happened. She reached down and picked up a folder that she flashed about to punctuate her words. "I risk my reputation -- my academic career -- and in return for my gift," at this she threw the folder into his lap, "you take points away from me?"

Finally, here was something useful; he could hide behind this until she left. His thoughts wandered for a moment before her words registered and he thought about what was most likely inside the folder. "This is Dumbledore's Valentine's Day file?" Although the answer was obvious, he had felt the need to ask, and was rewarded by her condescending nod. "You made it past the portrait wall?" Again, she gave another nod. "How did you get out?"

"I Obliviated them." She said the words with such ease that Snape was impressed. Despite her scholastic achievements, that particular spell was a very advanced, and the fact that the Headmaster was unaware of her efforts meant she had performed it correctly.

She knew that her mastery of that spell was remarkable, and she couldn't help expounding on it under the guise of explaining it away. "I stood next to the great Harry Potter as he faced down the dark lord." As she watched him raise his eyebrow, she shrugged and said, "It wasn't an isolated incident... I did pick up a bit along the way..."

Snape chuckled slightly at that comment and wondered what other talents she had picked up. "Well, I think that deserves a point or two." What was he doing awarding points to a Gryffindor? This madness had to end.

Smiling at her victory, Hermione decided to ride the wave, and went on to mention what she had found in the file. She knew that this really was a large undertaking and while they both wanted it to go well, she was just afraid they hadn't left themselves enough time. With a flourish she pulled a folded paper from her bag, and quickly opened it to display an intricate and obscenely colored chart. The chart clearly listed the resources needed, the optimum placement, and intended effect of each prank. With a bright smile on her face she turned and plastered it to the blackboard.

She had grabbed his attention when she had bent over to pull something out of her bag. Although he knew his attention should have been elsewhere, he couldn't help but be transfixed by her round bottom as it swayed from side to side with her efforts to hang the chart.

"Nice ass," he said absentmindedly.

"What?"

"Er... Chart!! I mean chart!!" He said hurriedly, hoping she hadn't actually heard is comment. "Nice Chart!!"

Turning to him with a broad smile she said proudly, "Thank you. I used my Arithmancy studies to calculate the most effective combinations." She enjoyed work that pulled from her various studies.

Bringing his mind back to the purpose of their meeting, Snape couldn't help but marvel at the amount of time and effort she was putting in to a childish prank. He then thought of how it was indicative of the level of attention she had always paid to her studies. Realizing that she would expect the same level of effort from her friends, he wondered how Potter and Weasley had held up for so many years. Seven years of this type of behavior and lesser men might have chosen Voldemort. Pointing to a rather nasty entry on the chart he said, "Are you sure about this one? I thought these people were your friends?" He noticed her careless shrug and wondered if the war would have gone differently had she been on the Dark Lord's side.

There were a few more items to add to the list, and some minor changes that were taken care of in a flash. Gathering up and concealing the evidence, the professor hurried his student out of the classroom so he could finally alleviate the tightness in his pants before meeting the other teachers for dinner. He hadn't thought it possible, but apparently he had gotten through the meeting with his dignity intact.

As she reached the door she turned and said rather saucily, "Oh, and Professor... you might want to use this time to handle that problem that keeps popping up. You wouldn't want to scare away the rest of the staff." He could hear her snicker long after the classroom door closed -- damn her.

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A/N: Thanks to NegativeNine for her beta work!! Also, thanks to all that have reviewed!!